Striking conciliatory note, Pakistan’s Nawaz Sharif seeks coalition government, Khan’s PTI rejects offer

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (C) and leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) party, along with his younger brother and former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif (R) and his daughter Maryam Nawaz (L) speaks with supporters in Lahore on February 9, 2024, a day after Pakistan's national elections. (AFP)
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Updated 10 February 2024
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Striking conciliatory note, Pakistan’s Nawaz Sharif seeks coalition government, Khan’s PTI rejects offer

  • Independent candidates, most of whom are affiliated with ex-PM Imran Khan, are leading in Thursday’s elections
  • In speech in Lahore, Sharif admitted PML-N party did not have the seats to rule alone, would approach other parties

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of Imran Khan said on Friday it had “absolutely no interest” in an offer by prime ministerial hopeful Nawaz Sharif to form a coalition government after his party did not win enough seats to rule alone following general elections on Thursday.

Speaking to a charged crowd of a few thousand supporters from the balcony of his party office in the eastern city of Lahore, his political heartland, Sharif, a three-time former prime minister, struck a conciliatory note. Admitting that his party alone did not have the seats needed, he called on all parties, including independents, most of whom are backed by his archrival Khan, to come together and rule through a coalition set-up.

Thursday’s vote and Sharif’s announcement on Friday were the culmination of an especially contentious election season in which allegations of military meddling took center-stage, casting a shadow over a historic event that marked only the country’s third-ever democratic transition of power. The army, which has ruled for over three decades of Pakistan’s history since independence in 1947, strongly denies interfering in political affairs.

Ahead of the vote, Sharif was seen as a frontrunner in the election due to what was widely believed to be the backing of the army that had smoothed the way for his return to Pakistan after four years in self-imposed exile to lead his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in national polls. Both deny this. 

But as the results of the vote trickled in late into the evening on Friday, it was clear that the PML-N had only bagged 69 out of 241 seats counted so far from 265 total seats in the National Assembly, while independent candidates affiliated with Khan’s PTI had 96 wins. Behind them both was the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) with 52 seats, led by the rising star of national politics, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the son of assassinated former PM Benazir Bhutto. 




Pakistan's former President Asif Ali Zardari (3R) of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) casts his ballot to vote during the country's national elections at a polling station in NawabShah of Sindh province on February 8, 2024. (AFP)

“We don’t have that much majority to make government alone, so we ask the allied parties who have been successful in this election, we invite them that they participate with us and we make the government together,” Sharif said in his first address after the elections.

Appearing cordial, he said the PML-N respected the mandate of all parties.

“Whoever has got the mandate, we respect it with all our hearts, whether they are a party or an individual person, an independent candidate, and we invite them, that in order to take this wounded Pakistan out of difficulties, come and sit with us … It is important that all other parties sit down and together form one government.”

 

 

But a spokesperson for the PTI, Raoof Hassan, told Arab News, the party was “absolutely not interested” in Sharif’s offer of a coalition set-up:

“We are not going to form any alliance or coalition with them. They are not trustworthy people.”

“NO CLEAR WINNER”

With no party meeting the requirement of winning 133 seats, a simple majority, out of 265 National Assembly seats, the days ahead are likely to see political feuding and possible horse trading as the PML-N and the PPP — in their battle to hold sway over parliament where the most important decisions require a two-thirds majority — scramble to form alliances with independents and smaller parties. 

In his speech on Friday, Sharif said he had appointed his brother Shehbaz Sharif, also a former prime minister, to meet with leaders from other parties, including the PPP, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F, to discuss a coalition government. He did not name the PTI.

Though the temptation to jump Khan’s ship and join another party forming the government will be high and could make the independents a political wild card in the coming days, PTI-backed candidates have repeatedly said they will not join the mainstream parties but return into the fold of Khan’s party once it wins back its bat symbol, of which it was stripped ahead of the elections.

The party had lost its symbol because the election commission said it did not hold intra-party elections, a legal requirement to run in polls as a party, forcing all its candidates to run as independents, each with a distinct symbol. 




Supporters of Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif' party 'Pakistan Muslim League-N' celebrate their party victory in the initial results of the country's parliamentary election, in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. (AFP)

PTI’s Hassan told reporters on Friday new intra-party elections would be held within a fortnight. 

“We don’t expect this hop-chop sort of government to last very long,” PTI senior leader Zulfi Bukhari and close Khan aide told Arab News, speaking about a possible future coalition government led by the PML-N. 

“Whatever [government] they’re going to form, there will be disputes and fights among each other … So, it’s going to hold zero credibility with zero public support and meaning they won’t be able to take any meaningful decisions for the betterment of the country.”




Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party's chairman and barrister Gohar Ali Khan (L) waves to supporters after casting his ballot to vote during Pakistan's national elections, in Buner on February 8, 2024. (AFP)

“KEY CHALLENGES”

Meanwhile, a delay in the full release of official election results even 24 hours after polling closed has led to widespread concerns about rigging and raised questions about the credibility of the vote. The government has ascribed the delay to the suspension of mobile phone services, imposed as a security measure ahead of Thursday’s election, but opponents, especially the PTI, say it was done to manipulate counting. 

In the run-up to the polls, Khan’s PTI had complained of a widening crackdown against the party, including not being allowed to campaign freely. Khan himself was missing from Thursday’s vote as he has been in jail since August last year and is also disqualified from running for public office for ten years. 

The former premier, already jailed in one corruption case, was convicted in three back-to-back cases a week before the election and faces dozens of other legal challenges, including one case in which he is accused of ordering violent attacks on military installations on May 9, 2023, which could entail the death sentence. Khan says all the cases were politically motivated to sideline him and his party from elections.

Analysts have widely questioned the legitimacy of an election that Khan, arguably the country’s most popular politician, was not allowed to contest. And after the polls, they fear the absence of a clear winner could mean more uncertainty for a country where political temperatures have been excruciatingly high since Khan was ousted in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence in April 2022. 

The country has also been grappling for months with a seemingly intractable economic crisis that has left millions disillusioned. 

The Pakistani economy is currently beset by record high inflation, falling foreign exchange reserves, a depreciating currency, low consumer confidence and slow growth caused by tough reforms carried out to meet the conditions of a last-gasp $3 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved last year. 

One of the key challenges for any new government will be negotiating a new bailout program with the IMF after the ongoing deal expires in three weeks. Another will be tackling rising militancy. 

The election season itself was particularly bloody, with several attacks on rallies, election offices and candidates in the last few weeks while 16 people were killed in violence on polling day itself.

But political analysts Tahir Naeem Malik urged calm and reconciliation between all political stakeholders.

“Election results necessitate political stakeholders to sit together and negotiate regarding the next set up,” he told Arab News. “It will be hard for the weak coalition government to initiate major economic reforms and fight the upsurge of militancy.”

But PML-N supporters outside Sharif’s Lahore office said they hoped he would be the “answer” to Pakistan’s problems, especially on the economic front. 

“I came here to see Nawaz Sharif with great happiness and excitement. God willing, Nawaz Sharif will come in government and he will give laptops to young people and make their future bright,” Mohibullah, who had traveled from the mountainous Gilgit region hundreds of miles away for a glimpse of his leader, told Arab News, as loud speakers blared PML-N anthems in the background and fireworks went off.

“All the young people who are leaving the country, god willing after Nawaz Sharif forms government, they won’t leave and will make a bright future here.”

Supporter Samra Nazeer, who volunteers as a coordinator for the party’s activities in Lahore, said she had personally observed in this election that “people love Nawaz Sharif.”

“Just like his last three tenures [as PM] when Pakistan was prospering,” she said, “for a fourth time also people have high hopes.”

Additional reporting by Aamir Saeed in Islamabad


Bracewell leads depleted New Zealand in Pakistan T20 series

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Bracewell leads depleted New Zealand in Pakistan T20 series

  • Host of top names missing from Kiwi squad due to Indian Premier League commitments
  • Pakistan will face New Zealand in first T20I between both sides on Sunday at Christchurch 

Wellington: Michael Bracewell will captain New Zealand for the first time on home soil when they meet Pakistan in a five-game T20 series, leading a squad named Tuesday missing several key players because of the IPL.

Bracewell starred as the Black Caps reached the final of the Champions Trophy and is one of seven players from that one-day team selected for the T20s.

But a host of top names are not available due to Indian Premier League commitments, including regular skipper Mitchell Santner, along with Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson and Glenn Phillips.

Kane Williamson also made himself unavailable for the series, which gets under way on Sunday in Christchurch.

“It’s a great honor and a real privilege to captain your country,” said Bracewell, who led the side on their white-ball tour of Pakistan last year but has yet to take the reins at home.

“Mitch Santner’s done a great job since taking over as white-ball captain and I’ll really just be trying to build on his good work and create an enjoyable environment for the guys to perform in.

“Pakistan are always a dangerous short-form side with lots of power and pace and we know they’ll be hurting after an early exit in the Champions Trophy,” he added.

Spinner Ish Sodhi was recalled while paceman Ben Sears is back after recovering from a torn hamstring.

Finn Allen, Jimmy Neesham and Tim Seifert were also included as both teams start building up to next year’s T20 World Cup in India.

New Zealand squad: Michael Bracewell (capt), Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes (games 4 and 5 only), Mitch Hay, Matt Henry (games 4 and 5 only), Kyle Jamieson (games 1, 2 and 3 only), Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Will O’Rourke (games 1, 2 and 3 only), Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi


Islamabad says has evidence Kabul ‘complicit’ in cross-border attacks by Pakistani Taliban

Updated 27 min 46 sec ago
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Islamabad says has evidence Kabul ‘complicit’ in cross-border attacks by Pakistani Taliban

  • Pakistan has struggled to contain militancy in its western provinces bordering Afghanistan since November 2022
  • Ambassador Munir Akram says Pakistani Taliban emerging as umbrella for “regional terrorist groups” in Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s United Nations Ambassador Munir Akram has said that Islamabad has evidence of Kabul being “complicit” in cross-border militant attacks in Pakistan, the country’s mission to the UN announced on Tuesday, warning that surging militancy in Afghanistan poses security dangers for its immediate neighbors. 

Akram’s statement at the UN comes amid Pakistan’s struggles to contain rising militancy in its northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province since November 2022, when a fragile truce between the state and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or the Pakistani Taliban, collapsed. Pakistan says the takeover of Kabul by the Afghan Taliban in 2021 has emboldened the group as it is able to operate out of and launch attacks from safe havens in neighboring Afghanistan, whose government denies the charges.

At a meeting of the UN Security Council on Afghanistan’s security, Akram said the TTP is the “largest designated terrorist organization operating from Afghanistan” with an estimated 6,000 fighters. Akram said that through safe havens close to the border with Pakistan, the TTP has conducted numerous attacks against Pakistani soldiers, civilians and institutions resulting in “hundreds of casualties.”

“We have evidence that the Kabul authorities have not only tolerated but are complicit in the conduct of the TTP’s terrorist cross-border attacks,” Akram said according to a statement by Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the UN on Mar. 10. 

He said the TTP is collaborating with other “terrorist groups” present in Afghanistan, such as the separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and its Majeed Brigade unit, reiterating that they seek to destabilize Pakistan and disrupt its economic cooperation with China. 

The BLA is the most prominent separatist militant outfit in Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by land but its poorest by almost all economic indicators. The outfit has launched attacks against Pakistan’s security forces and targeted Chinese interests in Balochistan and Karachi frequently in the past. The BLA accuses Pakistan’s federal government and China— which has invested in Balochistan through an infrastructure network— of denying the locals a share in the province’s natural resources. Both governments deny the allegations and say they are working for Balochistan’s development.

Without naming India, Akram said the TTP also receives support from Pakistan’s “principal adversary.”

“TTP, perceived as enjoying Kabul’s patronage, is fast emerging an umbrella organization for regional terrorist groups whose objectives are to undermine the security and stability of all of Afghanistan’s neighbors,” he said. “Given its long association with Al-Qaeda, the TTP could pose not only a regional but a global terrorist threat.”

He pointed out the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of American forces from the country, adding that aid for the 20 million people in Afghanistan should be “unconditional and generous.”

“Pakistan supports the call to unfreeze the assets of Afghanistan’s Central Bank,” he said. “This will revive the banking sector and end the cash transfers which are partially responsible for money flowing into the hands of terrorists.”

Akram concluded his statement by saying that the destinies of Pakistan and Afghanistan are intertwined via shared bonds of history, geography, ethnicity, language, faith and culture. 

“We are steadfast in our commitment to support all possible efforts at the bilateral, regional and global level to achieve peace, stability and development in Afghanistan,” he said. “After 40 years of conflict, the people of Afghanistan deserve no less.”
 


Pakistan, India among countries suffering from world’s most polluted air— report

Updated 11 March 2025
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Pakistan, India among countries suffering from world’s most polluted air— report

  • Only 17 percent of global cities met WHO air quality standard, says Swiss monitoring firm IQAir
  • Pakistan has been ranked third in air pollution rankings behind Bangladesh and Chad

SINGAPORE: Only seven countries met World Health Organization (WHO) air quality standards last year, data showed on Tuesday, as researchers warned that the war on smog would only get harder after the United States shut down its global monitoring efforts.

Chad and Bangladesh were the world’s most polluted countries in 2024, with average smog levels more than 15 times higher than WHO guidelines, according to figures compiled by Swiss air quality monitoring firm IQAir.

Only Australia, New Zealand, the Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Estonia and Iceland made the grade, IQAir said.

Significant data gaps, especially in Asia and Africa, cloud the worldwide picture, and many developing countries have relied on air quality sensors mounted on US embassy and consulate buildings to track their smog levels.

However, the State Department has recently ended the scheme, citing budget constraints, with more than 17 years of data removed last week from the US government’s official air quality monitoring site, airnow.gov, including readings collected in Chad.

“Most countries have a few other data sources, but it’s going to impact Africa significantly, because oftentimes these are the only sources of publicly available real-time air quality monitoring data,” said Christi Chester-Schroeder, IQAir’s air quality science manager.

 A man walks past a sign that reads "Drive carefully save life" in Peshawar, Pakistan, Jan. 23, 2024. (AP/File)

Data concerns meant Chad was excluded from IQAir’s 2023 list, but it was also ranked the most polluted country in 2022, plagued by Sahara dust as well as uncontrolled crop burning.

Average concentrations of small, hazardous airborne particles known as PM2.5 hit 91.8 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/cu m) last year in the country, slightly higher than 2022.
The WHO recommends levels of no more than 5 mg/cu m, a standard met by only 17 percent of cities last year.

India, fifth in the smog rankings behind Chad, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, saw average PM2.5 fall 7 percent on the year to 50.6 mg/cu m.

But it accounted for 12 of the top 20 most polluted cities, with Byrnihat, in a heavily industrialized part of the country’s northeast, in first place, registering an average PM2.5 level of 128 mg/cu m.

Climate change is playing an increasing role in driving up pollution, Chester-Schroeder warned, with higher temperatures causing fiercer and lengthier forest fires that swept through parts of South East Asia and South America.

Christa Hasenkopf, director of the Clean Air Program at the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute (EPIC), said at least 34 countries will lose access to reliable pollution data after the US program was closed.

The State Department scheme improved air quality in the cities where the monitors were placed, boosting life expectancy and even reducing hazard allowances for US diplomats, meaning that it paid for itself, Hasenkopf said.

“(It) is a giant blow to air quality efforts worldwide,” she said


13 women-led startups graduate from program by Pakistan’s largest digital bank

Updated 11 March 2025
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13 women-led startups graduate from program by Pakistan’s largest digital bank

  • Incubator program equipped women with skills, financial literacy and tools to upscale startups, says Mobilink Bank 
  • Pakistani startup Ecobricks bags “Best Startup Award” while Recycle Bin, EcoGrow each won Innovation Challenge 

ISLAMABAD: Thirteen women-led startups recently graduated from an incubator program offered by Pakistan’s largest digital microfinance bank, equipping them with skills, financial literacy and the tools to upscale their enterprises, Mobilink Bank said in a statement this week. 

International and local rights groups have spoken out against women being marginalized in conservative Pakistan, where they are often subjected to gender inequality, suffer from lack of work opportunities, face violence and sexual abuse. 

A graduation ceremony of Mobilink Bank’s ‘Women Inspirational Network (WIN) Incubator Program’ was held in Islamabad on Saturday, Mar. 8, on the occasion of International Women’s Day. The event was attended by key stakeholders, industry leaders, businesswomen, partner organizations and media representatives, Mobilink Bank said in a statement on Monday. 

“As a future-ready bank, we’re not just providing tools and opportunities but paving the way for lasting change,” Haaris Mahmood Chaudhary, chief executive officer and president of Mobilink Bank, said in a statement. “When a woman rises, she lifts her family and community with her.”

Graduates of ‘Women Inspirational Network (WIN) Incubator Program’ pose for a picture in Islamabad March 8, 2025. (Mobilink Microfinance Bank)

Pakistani startup Ecobricks received the “Best Startup Award” and a prize of Rs1 million ($3,573), while Recycle Bin and EcoGrow were each awarded Rs500,000 ($1,786) as winners of the Innovation Challenge. 

“The awards recognized promising ideas and provided crucial financial support to fuel these businesses’ continued growth and success,” the bank said. “The bank also announced the launch of the program’s second cohort to continue nurturing a thriving ecosystem for women-led businesses.”

Pakistan’s foreign secretary Amna Baloch was the chief guest at the event. She described the incubator program as a “resounding success.”

“The stories of these women inspire hope and motivate others to take the reins of their lives into their own hands,” Baloch said in a statement.


Pakistan oil regulator in crosshairs of refineries, marketing firms over ‘take or pay’ clause

Updated 11 March 2025
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Pakistan oil regulator in crosshairs of refineries, marketing firms over ‘take or pay’ clause

  • OMCs strongly oppose proposal due to fear of liquidity crises, supply disruptions and potential market exits
  • Refineries say oil marketing firms failing to lift product disrupts operations, threatens supply chain stability

ISLAMABAD: The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) said this week it would mediate between refineries and Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) to reach a “mutually agreeable” resolution on differences over the authority’s proposal to impose a “take or pay” clause in purchase agreements with refineries, which OMCs argue would unfairly burden them.

Pakistan has five oil refineries that process crude oil to produce refined petroleum products. Around 30 OMCs are licensed by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) to ensure the availability of petroleum products in the country.

A conflict emerged between local oil refineries and OMCs over OGRA’s proposal to include a take or pay clause in Sales Purchase Agreements (SPAs), with OMCs strongly opposing the move fearing liquidity crises, supply disruptions and potential market exits. Under the new contracts, oil marketing companies would have to pay at least cost to refineries if they are unable to pick up their allocated quantities of product.

The chairman of the Oil Marketing Association of Pakistan (OMAP), a body representing two dozen small and medium-sized Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs), wrote a letter to OGRA Chairman Masroor Khan this week to formally oppose the proposed clause, saying it would serve the interests of refineries and large OMCs at the expense of smaller players, further consolidating the monopolistic control of big fish in the oil sector. 

OGRA spokesperson Imran Ghaznavi told Arab News refineries and OMCs had been asked to enter into written sale and purchase contracts. 

“The take or pay clause means if an OMC does not buy the contracted quantity, it will still have to pay the purchase price or a penalty and vice versa,” he said. 

OMAP chairman Tariq Wazir Ali told Arab News on Monday the body had “expressed our grave concerns regarding the proposed imposition of the take or pay clause in the SPAs between refineries and OMCs as it poses significant risks to the financial sustainability of OMCs.” 

He said imposing a take or pay clause would hamper competition, discourage new entrants, and ultimately harm the overall efficiency of the petroleum supply chain. He also said the proposed clause overlooked refineries’ opportunistic behavior as they often withheld supply when prices were expected to rise, forcing OMCs into costly imports, and offloaded maximum stock when prices fell, causing financial losses to OMCs.

Given these circumstances, it was unreasonable to expect OMCs to bear inventory losses while refineries remained insulated from the market’s volatility, Ali said. 

“The proposed mechanism must be accompanied by a robust enforcement framework ensuring that refineries adhere to the same rules of fair play and supply commitments, regardless of market price trends,” he added, urging OGRA to convene an inclusive consultative meeting with equal representation of all stakeholders, including small and medium OMCs, before finalizing a decision. 

“MUTUALLY AGREEABLE CONTRACTS“

The conflict has emerged after five leading oil refineries wrote a letter to the OGRA chairman, arguing that OMCs had frequently failed to pick up agreed quantities of High-Speed Diesel (HSD) and Motor Gasoline (MOGAS), which had disrupted refinery operations and threatened supply chain stability. The refineries said while they maintained commercial agreements with OMCs, it was OGRA’s responsibility to enforce compliance with these contracts.

The refineries pointed to Rule 35(g) of the Pakistan Oil (Refining, Blending, Transportation, Storage, and Marketing) Rules 2016, which mandates that local production must be prioritized before allowing imports. Keeping this in mind, they have supported OGRA’s suggestion of introducing a take or pay clause to ensure product uplift but say it should be implemented through mutual agreement and strict regulatory oversight. 

“The engagement sessions with the OMCs will start soon,” OGRA spokesperson Ghaznavi said, “and OGRA will, in the best national interest and for achieving efficiency in the oil supply chain, mediate between refineries and OMCs for a mutually agreeable sale and purchase contracts.”